LANCE CORPORAL TOM INGLE

7th May 1889 - 18th February 1917
Aged 28years

Tom was born in 1889, the son of Thomas E. Ingle, and his wife Alice Mary (nee Senior). He was baptised at Christ Church, Knottingley, where his father served in various capacities. He was the youngest of a family of five, three boys and two girls, his twin sisters having died in infancy. There was a nine year gap between him and the eldest.

His father, who had been born into a farming and lime quarrying background, had left farming at Cobcroft Farm and taken employment with the newly formed Knottingley Urban District Council as 'Surveyor, Inspector of Nuisances and Collector of Rates' in the mid 1880's, and then as Surveyor, a post which he held for the next thirty years until a year before his death in 1925. The family business of farm and lime quarry in Cridling Stubbs were continued by Tom's uncle, George, and some of his aunts had married into prominent Knottingley families. The family lived at Hillside, The Green, Knottingley, but I know nothing about his childhood. However, it is probable that, like his father and brother, he would have attended Christ Church regularly, and been a member of the tennis, cricket and football clubs.

He travelled to New Zealand at some time between 1901 and 1914, following his brother Claude or some of his uncles. There were many members of the Ingle family who had emigrated to New Zealand, starting with his great uncle Charles, who went there in 1853. Once there, he was employed as a labourer by a Mrs Begg, of Invercargill, which is on the southern tip of New Zealand. At this time, he was described as dark, with light brown eyes and brown hair, 5ft 81/2ins tall, and a chest size of 32/35ins.

He enlisted in the 1st Btn Canterbury Regiment (New Zealand Expeditionary Force) in January 1915 in New Zealand. He was promoted to L. Cpl on 15th February. In early June that year he joined his battalion, which was part of the Anzac forces in Turkey, but by late June had been wounded at Gallipoli. After a month in hospital in Egypt he returned to the Dardenelles. In April the following year, he travelled with his unit to France, but by July was again in hospital in France and then in England. He was out of hospital by September, but did not rejoin his unit in France until January 1917. He was reported missing in action, believed prisoner of war, on 18th February 1917, but this was altered to ‘killed in action’ in the August of that year.

There is a report of a Board of Enquiry which examined the details of the incident which led to his death. It says that a Captain Brooke was in charge of the Company on the night of 17th February, which was exceptionally dark and foggy. He sent out a patrol at 6.30pm, but at 7.30pm heard heavy bombing which he thought was rifle fire. At 8.30pm one member of the patrol returned badly wounded and reported that the patrol had been bombed by a party of Germans in an old trench. At 9pm the enemy opened a short but severe bombardment on New Zealand support lines as a diversion whilst they sent out men to capture the patrol. A New Zealand search party of eight men was also immediately sent out, led by Sgt J Cowling. None of the patrol was found, even though the search continued all night. Next morning, another member of the patrol, who was badly wounded, was found about 50 yards along the line. Although the position where the encounter took place was found, there were no rifles or equipment, just several German stick bombs. There was evidence that men had been wounded, but the night was so dark it was difficult to see any other signs. The Germans had evidently been present at the old trench and taken the patrol by surprise.

Four days later, Pte B MacKay was on guard over some German prisoners at Sailly, who had been taken in the Auckland raid at a place near where the patrol had been attacked. One of the prisoners who spoke a little English and French, was inclined to be communicative. He told Pte MacKay that the New Zealand patrol was taken by surprise and bombed. An English officer and four men, one a sergeant, were wounded and taken prisoner, but the English officer subsequently died. One of the men had escaped.

Because of this, the Court of Enquiry ruled that Tom Ingle had been wounded, and was believed to be prisoner of war in German hands. However, as subsequently no trace was found, either at a hospital or as a Prisoner of War, the Court of Enquiry declared him ‘killed in action’ in accordance with War Office instructions, in August that same year.

His name is on the War Memorial in Knottingley, and on the Cite Bonjean (New Zealand) memorial in Nord, France to those who have no known grave and fell in the neighbourhood of Armentieres. He is also mentioned on the gravestone of his parents in Knottingley cemetery.

His passing is noted in the Pontefract and Castleford Express of 24th August 1917. Entitled 'Two more Knottingley men who have 'passed over'', it comments on Tom Ingle and Private Frank Ham 'who have recently made the grand sacrifice'.

Jillian Christensen

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